The Eighth Year
by shnugglyFROG
Summary: While D.A. members suffer with the loss of those close to them, not to mention repeating their seventh year Neville has a bit more weighing on his mind. Told in the eyes of Layne Wardell: the Toad Keeper :D
1. Chapter 1

The Eighth Year

By Deidra J. Hill

PROLOAGUE:

Dear Aria,

The summer's certainly been progressing along hasn't it? I hope that I find you well with this letter; it's been quite a while since we last spoke and four months since the accident. I'm deeply hoping that you and George have been healing up the wound little by little. I miss you both terribly.

I'll be boarding the train to Hogwarts here in less than a week; the school's going to feel so different without all the students and professors we lost. I suppose it really is possible to have a rainy summer because I haven't been able to enjoy mine at all; I'm too sad.

I'm not sure if you know or not, but quite a few of us are repeating our seventh year though nobody refers to it as anything but our "eighth". We all missed quite a bit of schooling (if that's what they want to call it) when we left to go into hiding with the D.A. but you know what? It was completely worth it; can you believe we actually had a hand in defeating Voldemort? Even so, the loss that everyone's suffered is truly depressing and I can't quite feel good about the whole thing yet; in fact, I don't think I ever will.

Ari, I really, truly hope that you're doing alright; write me back as soon as you can and give George my love! I know how strong you two are and I have full confidence that things are going to work themselves out over time.

All of my love,

Layne

Chapter One

"LAYNE!!!"

The adolescent female who had been formerly standing in the midst of the crowded train station found herself, quite unexpectedly, on the ground; the girl who'd been calling her name tangled there with her but laughing gratefully none the less. "H-hi Holli…"

Layne Wardell stood up hauling one of her two best friends, Holli Wyly, to her feet as well. "How have you been?" She asked dizzily.

"As well as can be expected…" Holli replied with a sadder tinge to her luminous gray/blue eyes. "I mean… well you know."

Layne nodded along at her friend's sudden discomfort; everybody at the station seemed to be in a poor mood and it was obvious that none had enjoyed their summers. Only a few months prior, the great, prestigious, school Hogwarts had been the location upon which one of the most important battles in the wizarding world had been fought.

A great number of lives had been lost; many of which were Hogwarts students and teachers. So many here at the station were missing friends, favorite professors, and even family making it one of the most heart-breaking scenes that Layne or Holli had ever taken part in. It was for this reason, that the two girls embraced one another for a bit longer than they normally did at their yearly reunion in the station; both had missed each other a great deal despite writing to one another nearly the entire summer.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was infamous for being, to the students, one of the busiest and most bustling locations one could ever have the misfortune of finding themselves caught in. None the less, each year prior, the people within it were as happy a group as one could find; friends reunited for a brand new school year at the great castle where many of the world's best witches and wizards had emerged. It was astounding to see the station in such depression, but one could not have expected any different what with the terms. The only crowd exhibiting any honest excitement was the younger students, particularly the first years; most of whom hadn't known the staff or older adolescents at all. This last year for Layne, Holli, and so many others would be completed without some of their closest and favorite professors as well as without their previous headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

However, Dumbledore had passed away the year before last. This previous school term had been overseen by former Potions Professor, Severus Snape who all but a small few (each a Slytherin) liked at all. His brief reign was not smiled upon.

Layne skimmed across the sea of heads, tremendously relieved to see some of the small groups of pre-teens who were be in better spirits. The truth was, she envied them for not feeling as guilty as she would to laugh at the current moment. Would it be okay to joke around on their train ride? To laugh and enjoy themselves this year even a little bit? She knew that this was a sure fact and that she and her fellow peers would be in good spirits eventually; nobody could stay solemn forever. Yet for now, it seemed appropriate and she said very little to her friend receiving the same in return; neither angry at the other for it.

It wasn't until both she and Holli had boarded the train that they finally began talking. The availability of space in which to move about more freely encouraged them to chat; one sitting across from the other and letting their pets out to roam the room at their will.

Layne was the only one of the pair that really needed to release her pet from his cage. His name was Clyde and he was one of the biggest domestic cats one could ever lay eyes upon; his short fur was completely white down to the last detail and he was quite noticeably fat. His eyes were smaller, if not a bit squinty, and a brilliant shade of yellow if you ever had the chance to see them properly. He walked about the compartment lazily before deciding to curl up next to his owner's warm leg for a long nap, paying no mind to the large, pink arachnid that occupied the room as well.

Rupert, a remarkably polite African Flamingo Spider, was Holli's pet, or friend, as most referred to him as. He could speak and had an exceptional vocabulary that outdid most students and even professors at the school; despite his intimidating appearance, he was very kind and had a rather gentle personality if one was ever to chat with him. The fur that covered his body was a bright, exotic pink, matching the dyed bangs of his owner, and perched upon his head was a small top hat which he had quite a time keeping on. He sat contently upon Holli's shoulder, saying little, preferring to listen to the conversation rather than join it.

The only other occupants of the compartment were two small first years who seemed rather intimidated by Layne and Holli (not to mention Rupert) who were much older than they and not inclined to mind it very much.

"So have you talked to Neville at all this summer?" Holli suddenly asked causing Layne to freeze momentarily before releasing a colossal sigh and sinking back into her seat, her hands sliding down the top of her head and resting over her eyes. "Is that a no or perhaps a yes with regret for something bad happening with it?" her friend persisted, now quite interested.

"It's a no, I'm afraid." Layne replied gloomily, not removing her hands from her eyes. "He gave me his address last year, but I misplaced it on the train. I even ran back in to look for it, but it was gone!!! Then I went out to look for him in the crowd but _he_ was gone! I've been so pissed off all summer because of it, you've no idea…"

"You think so?" Holli scoffed. "I had to go home to mom and Mr. Dildo-face." She told Layne whose hands had finally dropped and whose face was now rather apologetic.

"That's right." She said irritably. "I can't believe they were threatening not to let you come… bitches." She said jokingly for the first time that day. She greatly disliked her best friend's mother and stepfather, both intolerant muggles, almost as if they were her own family mistreating her so and often listened to the girl's complaints about them.

Holli shook her head smartly, staring at her feet rather darkly much to Layne's astonishment. "They _weren't_ going to let me come." She told the blonde who was now listening intently. "I didn't get the chance to write you about it since it was just under a week ago and I only had one owl. I sent it to Hogwarts and the new headmaster came and got me himself."

"…They weren't going to let you come?" Layne asked quietly; this was serious.

Holli shook her head. "They don't know all the details on the battle last year; I didn't tell them that anybody died. I had to plead with the teachers not to send them word remember?" She asked her friend who nodded along, remembering well the panic in Holli's eyes at that time. "So… I just told them that there had been an attack and what not and that my injuries were from my getting in the way of things when I shouldn't have." She went on. "That's not even what made them consider making me stay home; it was because they had found my sketch book."

Layne gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "Are you serious…?" She asked.

Holli nodded grimly; the sketch book that she spoke contained some of her best art, much of which was gay couples, unnatural beings, or rather… nothing containing the "holy" perspective on what was right and wrong. "So…. In a nutshell, they found out I was an atheist and decided to blame the school for that."

Layne looked shocked, but she smiled none the less. "But the headmaster came and got you himself?! That's amazing and I can just picture the look on John's fa…" Her voice faded away at the site of her friend's eyes; Holli looked blank as though thinking deeply on something highly unpleasant.

"They're not letting me come home anymore…" She said quietly and it was all that she needed to say before Layne was at her side, arms around her expecting her friend to begin crying.

"The headmaster…" She said, and Layne released her from the temporary embrace in order to listen; she was rather surprised. "He's really cool, I know you're gonna love him." She said smiling a little bit much to her friend's growing bewilderment. "And hell… I'm old enough to find somewhere better to live anyhow; it's not like I haven't been waiting for it anyway right?" She concluded suddenly, grinning broadly.

Layne paused for a long time in order to process the information being given to her and, finally, giggled at this; her friend doing the same. They were both laughing in just moments much to the first years' surprise; both of the younger passengers were feeling terribly awkward. What had seemed to be developing into a scene of tears and pain had, in fact, turned out to be something worth laughing about and neither of them understood why. "And the look on his face _was_ hilarious, you should have seen it." Holli managed to say between her laughs.

"Yeah?" Layne replied excitedly. "That idiot had it coming; I mean what a shit head… seriously."

"And my mom was shocked too. She'd been hoping to take me to church the next morning and everything!" The other forced out in between now hyperventilating laughter. "I'm so effing SICK of it!!! And this guy was so damn cool, you're gonna love him!!!"

The two first years were now watching the scene with sincere fascination as they were both seemingly unaccustomed to the cursing and certainly eager to hear more of it despite the confusing mood changes.

"What's he like?" Layne asked her friend even more excitedly.

"His name's Gregory Flock." Said Holli proudly. "He's really awesome!" He showed up at the door and announced that he'd come to fetch me since it seemed I didn't have the convenience of a ride."

Layne was laughing so hard she had to lean back in her seat. "Are you KIDDING ME?!?" She asked through hott tears.

Holli shook her head. "And he said that I needed my education and that it was my choice since I'm of age. Naturally I said I wanted to go and so he grabbed my luggage and helped me carry it to his car; there were no assistants or anything, just him and the Taxi driver!! I was so happy, I can't even tell you… John thinks I'm going to hell even more now; told me so before I left."

Layne sniggered, "What'd you say?"

"Nothing. I flipped him off and got in the car."

The remainder of the train ride was amazingly enjoyable; Layne's predilection had been disproved much to her pleasure. They had laughed, actually, much more than they had in what felt like years. It was nice to be where they were, to be alive and able to enjoy one another's company; it had been missed during their solitary summers. Yet this array of happiness only lasted as long as the Hogwarts Express; upon reaching the school, they were forced to let it die down quite a bit. Something about looking up at the beautifully elegant castle across the Black Lake made them remember the countless bodies that lie scattered on its grounds just months prior and, while their happiness hadn't completely vanished, both girls fell into a respectful silence for several minutes as they were lead to their yearly carriages. The normally invisible Thestrals that pulled them along were now visible to each and every one of them; everyone was in awe.

Layne watched the large, nearly skeletal creatures with horrifying fascination. Though elegant and graceful in a dark, but beautiful way, the creatures had an air of death to them. They looked like it although not as ugly as one would normally presume death to look; their shimmering black coats all but reflecting the full moon's gracious light. Their eyes were misty and clouded with no visible pupils; none the less, Layne felt her heart unexpectedly lurch when the one pulling her carriage turned to look at her. Something about his eyes, as bazaar as they were, made it clear that he was looking directly back at her, locking her in a powerful gaze. She gulped, standing in the one spot where she'd suddenly stopped and not daring to blink out of respect for him and his uniquely wise eyes which seemed to be taking her in and understanding every aspect of her being.

Holli stuck her head out of the carriage, a worried look forming itself upon her face as she noticed the ongoing lock in gazes. "…Layne… Come on, we're leaving now."

The blonde, her deep aqua eyes breaking away from those of the Thestral, put a hand to her collar and began walking towards the open door which was awaiting her entry. She took one last, fleeting look at the black creature, but he was turned away now, giving his bony head a great shake as she began to step into the carriage.

However, she stopped once again, one leg already through the door as a body strode by behind her. It was that of Neville Longbottom who only had time to meet her widened eyes for a mere fraction of a second before his friends were pulling him along once more. Layne withdrew her leg from the carriage "Hey…!" She called after them.

The two Gryffindor boys, Seamus and Dean, turned back to see what she wanted; Neville, on the other hand, was the first of them to crawl into the dark cab, disappearing without a glance at the girl who had called for him. The two others followed his example seeming to understand that she hadn't been calling them.

It was a disheartened Layne that entered her own carriage wherein her friend was giving her a worried look. Had Neville heard her when she'd called him? The small, open window that was available, provided enough light for Holli to see the fretful look upon her best friend's face as the carriage that the boys had crawled into began it's journey down the slope of land in front of it, visible in the lanterns for only a short few moments. "Layne…." She began with care. The other girl's in the carriage were oblivious to the current situation. "You need to talk to him… tonight if possible okay…?"

The girl looked up from the tightly clenched hands upon her lap and provided a small nod to show her agreement. "Alright…" She said quietly, turning away to gaze longingly out the window into the dark trees. "I will…."

The carriages set off, Layne's eyes gazing placidly out amongst the passing grounds, her mind unable to focus properly even though it was racing. Her heart was sinking more and more each and every second that she thought about confronting Neville yet… it was a little comforting to know that she could. She needed to clear up the reason for her not contacting him over the summer despite her promises; she hadn't had a choice in the matter anyhow so what was to truly worry about? She just hoped that he hadn't gotten the wrong idea and presumed that she'd not wanted to contact him; if she had hurt his feelings, she would break even more. He had been a constant source of angst and depression for the entire summer adding heavily to the disastrous battle.

Upon entering the school, Layne couldn't keep her eyes off of him. He didn't seem to be looking around for anybody and it made her lungs all but deflate to know that he didn't seem to care to seek her out at all. But he really wasn't required to as she reminded herself resentfully; they hadn't spoken to each other at all in four months therefore indicating that nothing was required by this point.

She sighed deeply as they approached the great doors; however, all of this even, was suddenly lost as the group of them passed through the front courtyard wherein an unfathomable number of bodies had been the year prior. She swallowed hard and her mouth fell open a bit from her suddenly dead stream of thought.

Scenes of malice and panic were flooding through each and every one of their minds; the bright flashes of variously colored spells erupting from wands and whizzing past or through anyone within range could still even a corpse more efficiently. Recollecting it at all was painful and it was all the group could do to fall into a dead silence, none of them able to speak even the slightest amount of words. Thoughts of what to say and whom to say it to vanished from their minds as they solemnly made their way through the doors and into the Great Hall wherein the scene was almost equally unbearable.

Three of the four great house tables were missing some of their students and, despite the number not being much, it was still a reminder that people whom they'd known for years were now dead. The group dispersed to their different destinations, all shooting noticeably cruel glares at the table of Slytherin; the only house to completely ditch their school in it's confrontation with the Dark Lord. It made one not of their own, sick to see them chatting away almost carelessly as though unconcerned by the number of people missing from this year's dinner.

A bit of the staff was missing as well. Professors Snape, Flitwick, and Trelawney's chairs were all empty this year. In there places sat three new faces which Layne was squinting her eyes to see as she sat down with her piers.

One of them was younger; he had a shaved head and, to everyone's amazement, a nose piercing which, despite being highly unusual, suited him quite well. His face bore the expression of one who had a decent handle on his life and was quite content with the current moment, but who could also be quite serious if the need came. Down a couple of seats sat another man, this one much older but not elderly. His hair was black and politely done; short, precise, and professional. He didn't look nearly as lenient as the first man and had a rather serious expression that warned all not to fool around in his presence. Lastly, at the far left end just before the school's large game keeper Hagrid, sat a women, also middle aged although not nearly as readable as her other colleagues; regardless, she was no less pronounced. She wore a considerable amount of purple and had hair of a dirty blonde color decorated with a motley assortment of beads strung along individual groups of her upper-back lengthen locks. She looked, in Layne's opinion, like a hippie, but it was her expression that the blonde was having difficulty reading. It didn't seem focused, serious, loose, troubled, happy, or any of the like; instead the lady merely gazed about the tables as though curious or fascinated by them. Layne was certain that she was the new Divination professor.

The main attraction, however, seemed to be the new headmaster. He looked like a pleasant person who'd be easy to talk to about your troubles; his eyes were kind and gave off the expression of a good listener. Holli hadn't been lying about him; he looked friendly almost to a comparison to Dumbledore. Although, unlike the old headmaster, he was black and wore robes composed of bright or deep oranges, reds, and yellows which complimented him quite well along with his matching hat. Layne was now quite eager to hear his beginning-of-the-year speech and see how he sounded as well as what kind of personality his voice delivered; unfortunately, she'd have to wait until the Sorting Ceremony was completed.

The first years were small as always, but rather adorable none the less as they walked up to the front of the hall. The ceremony, unlike the rest of the school, was exactly the same as it was every year much to the relief of many who sought at least a little bit of comfort from their old school days which had since changed. Most of the first years were divided without delay, the old sorting hat pausing at only a small few; the majority of them were placed in Hufflepuff while a good number was divvied into Gryffindor as well as the other houses. When all was finished, the new head master stood up from his seat and walked calmly around the large staff table until he was in front of it looking out amongst the students, Layne awaiting his speech excitedly.

"Good evening!" He said happily. "I am your new Headmaster, Gregory M. Flock; it's lovely to see you all here for a new year, and I cannot express to you how thrilled I am to have been permitted to accept such a wonderful position here at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Layne, shocked by the vigor in his voice, was skeptical of him for a moment until she noticed that his expression was genuine and truly excited. He wasn't pulling their legs; he was dead serious and happy.

"But before I get to the yearly announcements, it is my duty to introduce to you, a few more new arrivals." He motioned for the first man with the nose piercing to stand up. "Here joining us for this year and hopefully many more, is Professor Lief Watkins who will be teaching the subject of Charms! Also, he will be Ravenclaw's new Head of House; good luck to you professor!" The newly introduced man took his seat once more, waving and smiling at the room of adolescents applauding him while his colleague with the black hair stood up next to receive his own introduction.

"Also, we have Professor Yule Ringwall who will be taking charge of your Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons; good luck to you as well!" Gregory said, clapping his hands as he had for the previous addition to the staff. The new D.A.D.A. teacher seemed to be just as incapable of humor or warm feelings as Snape had been and it caused Layne to wonder if it was just the curse of the subject to turn most who loved with it, into seemingly heartless jerks.

"The final new face." Began the new Headmaster. "We have your new Divination instructor, Professor Annora Chandler! And, once more, good luck to you!" The newly introduced woman gave a polite, if not elegant bow, before taking her seat once more and returning to her previous occupation of gazing about the room.

"One last note!" The man continued once more. "Professor Horace Slughorn has been placed as Slytherin's new Head of House. Congratulations!" This seemed to generate an array of murmuring and whispering among all of the students in the hall.

Headmaster Flock seemed nothing short of thrilled with the new staff that, excusing Professor Ringwall's irritable aura, seemed to be in good condition. Yet, the applause that evening was hollow; it wasn't a pleasant feeling to clap one's hands in honor of teachers replacing those most of the school had known for years. Still, everyone seemed to understand that the new headmaster was only attempting to keep their spirits up and were therefore, not offended by his enthusiasm.

The announcements were nothing new or special; they involved the usual warnings to evade the Forbidden Forest, that one was not allowed off of school grounds after eight o'clock, et cetera. They were all digging into their feast not long afterwards; many were quite hungry from the long train ride.

Layne, however, couldn't help but continue to steal occasional, frustrated glances down the table to where Neville was sitting and talking to surrounding friends. She was highly disturbed by the site of one of the sixth year Hufflepuff girls, Aspen Celestine, who had moved tables and was currently sitting directly next to him and laughing along quite cheerfully. "………" Layne could hardly keep her eyes off of them as none of them seemed to be looking in her general direction anyhow.

Holli had noticed this as well but was keeping her mouth shut, expecting the worst just as Layne was. It was obvious that Aspen, remarkably beautiful and lively, had developed a particular liking to Neville whose arms she was now holding as they talked and laughed the evening away with other Gryffindors further down the table; Neville didn't seem to mind it in the least.

It wasn't long before Layne couldn't take anymore of it; she stood up from the table saying a short good night to her house-mates, before departing the Great Hall and heading up to the dorms by herself; Holli stayed where she was sensing her friend's need for space.

The staircases didn't even bother the girl due to her overworking brain; she practically glided up them for a good few minutes or so before reaching the portrait hole having gotten the Gryffindor's new password from one of the prefects before leaving.

"Bobbis Battis." She said to the portrait of The Fat Lady, who nodded her head politely and allowed the hole leading into the Common Room to be revealed. Layne crawled through and realized that she was the only one there, looking around herself dully. It was all the space she needed as she began to cry heavily, sinking to the floor unable to take another step. She'd never felt so horrible in one, single year; she couldn't erase the image of Neville and his beautiful girlfriend from her mind which was growing more and more aggravated as she continued to sob angrily into her arms and knees. How she wished she were somewhere else; all that she had to look forward to had blown up on the first night of her arrival and there was likely nothing that she could do to fix the matter.

She sat there in the corner of the Common Room for what seemed like ages before she heard approaching voices and footsteps prompting her to stand and leave hurriedly, dashing up the stairs to the girl's dorm room and sitting on her bed furiously attempting to wipe away her tears which had yet to cease.

For another long while, she did not move from her spot; she couldn't seem to find the strength to move her limbs anymore despite her growing need to. Finally though, with what seemed like an enormous effort, she rose to her feet, changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, set her alarm clock, and then fell into her bed as well as a deep and tormenting sleep; her first night back at school had been a disaster after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The inhabitants of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry awoke slowly the first morning of their return to the castle; a summer of sleeping in had thrown them out of the required routine.

Layne awoke to the sound of her alarm clock going off loudly as well as the site of a large, soft, white butt in her face. "….. Clyde, get off…" She murmured into the mound of fur before sitting up and sending the cat onto his face much to his displeasure. He looked up at her reproachfully while she began to pet him absent mindedly; rubbing her eyes with her other hand.

She stared at the room around her; the other's were stirring a bit, but not waking from what she could hear behind their curtains; Layne had set the alarm to go off a half an hour earlier than she'd normally have it. Her roommates aside from Holli were Parvati Patil, Hermione Granger, and Lavender Brown, none of which she spoke to all that often; she and Holli were usually secluded to their own corner of the room. It wasn't that the girls didn't like one another; they'd just never related on most things and, naturally, remained politely divided.

With a drowsy sigh, she continued to sit there on her bed; not sure if she wanted to move but well aware that she was going to eventually. It was not in Layne's nature to miss school if she could help it; she'd never ditched a single class. More than that though, she'd decided the night prior to get up early enough to take an extra long shower. For this reason, and that alone, she finally grabbed her shampoo and other bathroom products from her trunk, forced herself to her feet, and headed for the room's lavatory. Besides, waking early gave her a fair chance to wait and, hopefully, talk with a certain boy before their classes began.

It was while entering the lavatory that she glimpsed herself in the mirror and paused in order to gape inwardly at the state of her head and face. Her short hair, though not uncommon for the mornings, was a complete mess, curving up in every direction and flopping in all the wrong ways. Her eyeliner was all but dragged down her cheeks; smeared nearly everywhere and her eye brows had faded. She regularly used a special charm to color them to a complimenting brown since they were scarcely visible otherwise being astonishingly blonde; the charm had long since faded leaving her to look into a mirror which could just as easily have been mistaken for a portrait of a ghost or ghoul. "……." She hurried over to the farthest of the girl's showers and tore her clothes off as soon as entering it.

She spent about fifteen minutes washing off, particularly her face due to the drained eyeliner and what not; she also shampooed her hair twice before spending another ten minutes soaking up the hot water as well as trying to relax. She felt truly horrible that morning having had an equally traumatic evening taking place, unfortunately, on her first night back at the Castle. The adolescent male whom she had been uniquely fond of for two years hadn't even spoken to her and, to make things worse, he appeared to have gotten himself a rather fetching girlfriend. A summer of no contact from her had seemed to prompt him to neglect her completely and it was more pain than she had originally expected from her last year at school; she was devastated.

Layne had never been the type of person to outwardly worry. Irritated by unnecessary drama, she preferred to keep her problems to herself and a select few others knowing well that she hated hearing anyone complain about their issues within a public area. It was for this reason that she had departed the Great Hall the evening prior trying her best to look passive, but hating herself for not fully succeeding. A number of people from the surrounding tables, as well as her own, had seemed to notice her leaving and she was well aware that her face must have been a little stressed because they all looked a bit curious. She hoped greatly that her crush at least, had not witnessed this. The very thought of him seeing her looking as bothered as she felt by the site of him with his new girlfriend made her eyes squeeze shut and her brows furrow; tears almost hotter than the water cascading upon her body began to mix with it on her face.

While drying herself off at the far corner of her shower stall, she felt a renewed determination to speak with him and was thankful for it since she'd taken the liberty of waking up much earlier than she would have liked to in order to do so. The possibility of him never even conversing with her again was enough of a boost for her to buck up the courage to talk to him whether he had a girlfriend or not. She needed him to know that she had meant to contact him since departing the school and that she was very sorry for causing the promise she'd made to him to become impossible. She'd been angry with herself over the entire summer because of it.

She shook her head to rid her hair of any left over shower water and used the special charm she'd learned in order to color her eyebrows a darker shade. She drew on her eyeliner, brushed her teeth, checked her hair once more knowing well that she never did anything to it anyhow; the way it was layered and cut gave it natural charm, it's tips and ends fluffing out a bit.

She put on her school uniform and, after taking one final glance in the mirror to insure that everything was in order, she departing the dorm room giving Holli, who was yawning, a small wave as she did so, causing her friend to eye her suspiciously.

She made her way down the winding staircase that led into the Gryffindor common room, wondering if she should wait there or in the Great Hall. In her opinion, breakfast would certainly be the better choice since she would, undoubtedly, receive another bout of questioning/curious looks from her piers if she was wondering about the lounging area while everyone else was heading down for their first meal of the day. She didn't want her intentions to be conspicuous to anyone and thus, headed out of the portrait hole beginning her journey down the numerous staircases leading to the Great Hall.

She strode in through the large, wooden doors; not expecting the unthinkable in the least when she did so. She was mistaken in this.

Her heart almost expelled itself from her mouth as she spotted him, once again, sitting with Aspen, this time, just the two of them. Part of her froze up from the site of him smiling politely down at her causing the girl to release a sickeningly cute giggle. The blonde began to walk a bit stiffly towards an open area along one of the benches that complimented their table; she sat down and pulled an empty bowl towards herself before pouring cereal into it solemnly while trying her hardest to resist the growing urge to look at them again. Her usual confidence seemed to have extinguished itself the evening prior and the small bit of it that she'd managed to salvage was now diminishing once again.

She prodded her cereal deadly, all the while attempting to maintain an indifferent face and, once again, not quite succeeding. She resided with turning in a direction that wouldn't allow him to see her reluctantly frustrated expression even though she had a discouraging feeling that he wouldn't bother as it were. _Just what the hell is this anyway?! They got up early just to eat breakfast together!!! _She stabbed at her cereal unkindly. _I must look like such an asshole! There's hardly anyone in here at all besides us!!!!_

She ate her food quickly enough, finishing the contents of the small bowl and departing immediately afterwards, pulling her schedule out of her robe pocket in order to look it over.

**Layne L. Wardell, Seventh Year**

**Care of Magical Creatures/ Hufflepuff: Rubeus Hagrid **

**Potions/Slytherin: Horace Slughorn**

**Defense Against the Dark Arts/Slytherin: Yule Ringwall**

**Charms: Leif Watkins**

**Herbology: Pomona Sprout**

**Divination: Annora Chandler**

**Transfiguration: Minerva McGonagall **

She headed towards and out the front door of the school progressing onward to Hagrid's Hut where the Care of Magical Creatures classes always met. She would, naturally, have Neville in all of her classes and, unfortunately, she currently did not possess the guts to speak with him as she strode down the large plain of grass, cursing under her breath quietly the entire way.

She was, naturally, the first to arrive at the hut noticing that even the professor wasn't in site; he was usually about preparing his varying, if not unusual class guinea pigs whenever people started showing up. She flung her bag down and sat with a huff on the front doorstep of Hagrid's home pulling her knees up to the step in front of the one she was seated upon and placing her folded arms as well as her head upon them. Her mind couldn't seem to shut itself up even the slightest bit as she closed her eyes frustratedly. She didn't want to admit it, but Neville was acting highly unreasonable by avoiding her completely or at least ignoring her.

She thought back to the year prior in which she and Neville had spent quite a considerable amount of time together before his disappearance. Often times, the two of them would enjoy their weekends and free hours with one another; he'd even taught her a few important spells since she'd never been aware of Dumbledore's Army. The most prominent in her memory was that of the Patronus charm which had been the most enjoyable of all. Thinking back on that moment managed to bring a smile to her lips each and every time that she did so, even now.

She gently sat up and withdrew her wand from her robe pocket, pointing it in front of her gracefully. "Expecto Patronum!"

The silvery white image of a wolf erupted from the tip and landed on the ground in front of her, his head turning towards her inquiringly. She smiled even more as he trotted over and sat curiously in front of her, his clouded face looking into hers pleasantly through silver eyes and bringing a natural warmth with it that soothed her considerably. She reached out to stroke the warm, smoke-like substance that he was composed of causing his bushy tail to float happily back and forth as she did so.

The first time she'd performed her Patronus had been with Neville at her side smiling just as excitedly as she had been when this beautiful creature had emerged. She'd been happier in that moment than she had been in any other that she could recall; just the two of them laughing happily… contently. She'd give anything to relive that time again and often performed her Patronus, which was composed of it, in order to grasp it at least a little as she missed it so terribly.

She was caught off of her guard rather abruptly though as the door behind her was kicked open by a rather colossal foot sending her flying a good five feet or so onto the ground where she landed roughly, rolling another four before lying motionless in a heap; her Patronus vanishing from the doorstep. "O-Ouch…."

"AH!" Hagrid yelped, dropping the kettle that he was holding to go and check if she was alright. "LAYNE! Layne, I'm so sorry!!! M' such'a blunderi' idiot!" He said lifting her to woozy feet where she tottered for a moment before he was forced to catch her rather clumsily as she began to tilt over.

"It's… all good…" She said dizzily. "I'm good; I'm here."

Hagrid looked skeptical as she began to shake her head and brush herself off weakly. "Sorry… I didn't mean to sit on your doorstep." She apologized before seeming to realize something and adding "Well, I did… but I didn't think you were home. Sorry…"

"No need t' apologize." Hagrid said kindly. 'Though' a heard voices outside… should'a suspected they migh' be at m' door…."

Layne laughed weakly at this, rubbing her lower back as she did so. "So… what're we doing today?" She asked for the sake of conversation. "Anything too dangerous?"

"Mudringol eggs!" Hagrid beamed ecstatically; he seemed truly pleased that she had asked. "They aren' dangerous less yer not wearin' gloves."

"What happens if you aren't wearing gloves?" The girl asked warily.

"Oh nothin tha' bad…" The half-giant replied in a casual tone. "Nails cou' start burnin' and yer might have t' go to th' Hospital Wing if they do…" He chuckled to himself before stopping, seemingly perturbed by the weak smile that she was giving him. "Now whas wrong with yeh?" He said looking concerned. "Wha're yeh doin here so early anyhow?"

"Huh?" Layne asked awkwardly. "I'm fine; just finished breakfast early….."

"Nah." Hagrid said smartly. "Yeh don't look so good, som'n troublin' yeh?" He asked her with care; she was looking away with a rather perplexed expression which indicated that he'd been right on the dot.

"… You won't tell anyone right…?" She asked looking up at him hopefully and then, because of the raised eyebrow that he was giving her, she added "It's not that I've broken any rules or anything! I'm just in a bit of a predicament right now…"

She was relieved when she saw him smile brightly as though honored to help out. "Well yeh can tell me all bout' it!" He said ushering her inside the hut after picking up the kettle from the doorway. "I'll make some tea." He told her motioning for her to sit down in one of the immense chairs that complimented either side of the large, round table in the center of his home.

"Well…" She began, still looking around herself in awe at all of the enlarged household materials. "I've kinda… had a crush on Neville for a while now." She said before flinching at the sound of the kettle being dropped a bit clumsily on the stove in front of her.

"Neville?!" Hagrid asked in a surprised tone. "Blimey, nev'r though' he'd even manage ter get himself a girlfrien'!" He said with a bit of a chuckle. "Boy's so clumsy…"

"…Yeah well…" Layne continued, a bit irritated at Hagrid's statement, but aware that it was true. "I've liked him since our sixth year and I was sure that he liked me back, but… I lost his address and couldn't write to him this summer even though I promised him that I would last year…." She stared at the table in front of her fixatedly, her hands clenched tightly together. "And…. Well he hasn't said a word to me at all… He seems really hurt by it…"

Hagrid sat down in the opposite chair with a gruff sigh. "Neville's a sensitive boy if yeh ask me." He said. "I'm sure he was looking forward t' yer letters this summer… 'specially after last year; he probably needed'm." He said, pausing momentarily to dab his eyes with his sleeve.

"But… He won't even speak to me!" Layne said desperately. "I want to talk to him, but he's got a girlfriend now who he's been with practically every time I've seen him since the banquet last night!"

Hagrid's beady, black eyes widened considerably. "Y'mean ter tell me tha' he's got a girlfrien' _BESIDES_ you?" He asked in utter disbelief. "_Who?"_

"Aspen Celestine." Layne said, a crestfallen tinge to her turquoise eyes as she proceeded to tell him everything from their moment of eye contact in the carriages to this morning at breakfast which, regrettably, wasn't very much. "We were close last year; I know we were…" She told him sadly. "We spent almost all of our time together and I was always really happy… he seemed happy too so… I don't understand how my not writing to him could get this kind of a reaction. He must know that it wasn't on purpose……"

Hagrid nodded heavily. "Thas true… He doesn't seem th' type ter hold a grudge… S' always had a pretty forgiving nature from wha' I coul' tell." He didn't have a chance to continue his outward pondering due to the scream of the kettle on the stove which signaled him to stand up and tend to the tea returning shortly afterwards with two steaming mugs and a rusty tray of sugar cubes. "Well…" He said in order to continue. "Seems ter me tha' it must've been some'n deeper than yer not write'n an all tha', Or else he would'n be so distant towards yeh."

"I think that too." Said Layne, who was stirring sugar cubes into her hott mug of tea. "I just don't see what it could possibly _be_ is all." She sighed frustratedly. "And I' don't have the guts to talk to him about it since he seems just fine not talking to me, what with his new girlfriend and all… He even smiled at her this morning at breakfast…"

Hagrid chuckled at this much to the blonde's embarrassment.

"I-I know… that was horrible of me…" She admitted quickly; blushing and feeling ashamed of herself for sounding so cynical about the smile comment; she felt that way about it though. "I don't know what to do; I'm so bothered by it all…"

"Oh I can see tha'…" The half-giant nodded. "Yer one o' th' mos' passive people v' ever met Layne. Thas why it's so easy t' tell when yer frustrated." He told her patting her shoulder and causing her to spit out a bit of her tea from the strain of it. "M' point is this: Yeh've got not'n t' lose by try'n t' talk with'm."

The girl nodded as she wiped her chin with her sleeve, feeling much better now that she'd gotten the whole thing off of her chest and quite fortunate to have been able to do it so early in the day. She smiled up at Hagrid as they drank their tea and waiting for the other students to start showing up.

It was about ten minutes later that the first few people began heading down for their first class of the year. Hagrid and Layne were now outside preparing the Mudringol Eggs; small, squishy, emerald balls, all containing a single white spot somewhere on their surface. Layne was taking more and more interest in them as Hagrid explained them to her.

"They're amphibious?" She asked him; an excited gleam in her eyes. She had told Hagrid in her sixth year that she was fond of frogs and toads; this was also one of the things that originally had attracted her to Neville whom owned a toad by the name of Trevor.

"Yeah, bu' they can pack a wallop." Hagrid said warningly. "Think I mentioned this earlier, bu' yer nails coul' get hot an' then yeh'd have ter go t' th' hospital wing…" He looked at her questioning face. "Tha's only if the' bite yeh o'course; yeh shouldn' provoke'em."

"Well… Are they easily provoked?" Layne asked with a nervous grin knowing well that almost any creature worthy of Hagrid's class had some sort of unpleasant characteristic and being easily provoked was just one of the now naturally expected quirks.

"Not really!" Hagrid beamed happily. "They're some'o the sweet'st little things 've ever known t' be perfectly honest. Cooperate perfectly s' long as yer nice to'em."

Layne felt some relief in this, but she was still partially wary being that, like the creature's tempers, it was also common knowledge that Hagrid had a completely different idea of what was sweet and what wasn't.

"Well that's good to… know…" She said; her sentence slowing a bit at the site of Neville walking down the grassy slope to class. "……….." She watched him, trying not to look at him directly and, instead, stealing small glances out of the corners of her eyes as she helped Hagrid arrange the crates. _Why isn't he with his girlfriend…?_ According to her schedule, the Gryffindor's had Care of Magical Creatures with Hufflepuffs. _Isn't she in…?_ It suddenly occurred to her, much her secret delight, that Aspen was a sixth year whom would certainly not be taking part in another grade level's classes. _Well that's lovely; at least he won't be gushing over her… pretty little-_ She stopped herself feeling guilty once more on account of the fact that, besides Aspen dating her crush, which was completely out of her hands, she really had no reason to dislike the girl whom she only knew the name, appearance, and house of.

She sighed quietly, trying to exhale all of the negative feelings that she could in order to brace herself for first period with a boy whom no longer acknowledged her existence. _I'm being so dramatic… eww… _

She moved over to the large mass that was her classmates in order to allow Hagrid to begin his lesson which he did with enthusiasm. "Morn'n everyone! Hope yeh all got enough rest; today's lesson's right fascinat'n." He greeted them all cheerfully while presenting one of the large crates. Fang whimpered from over on the doorstep; gazing longingly at the greenish glow that the eggs were emitting.

Layne, excitedly paying attention, was surprised quite suddenly at the feel of a hand on her shoulder causing her to hop a bit on the spot and turn her head inquiringly where in she came face to face with Holli who was giving her a goofy smile. After a pause, she replied with an awkward grin of her own; for a fleeting fraction of a moment, she had thought that the hand might belong to someone else. "You scared me." She whispered with a make-shift giggle.

"You got up ridiculously early this morning. I want to know if it was for the reason I think it was!" Holli said with another teasing grin.

"Depends." Layne said, moving over so that Holli could stand next to her. "What do you think I did it for?"

"Idiot. You wanted to talk to him didn't you?"

"Who, Hagrid? OW!!" The blonde replied, keeping her voice as low as she could, even as Holli punched her hard in the arm. Her friend hadn't seemed to catch the joking-vibes that Layne had attempted to produce. "Bitch; I was kidding!" She groaned rubbing the sore spot on her upper arm sadly.

Holli's temporarily serious lip twitched slightly. "Well? Did you guys have a lover's rendezvous this morning?!"

Layne sighed irritably and shook her head; not wishing to discuss what had really happened when she'd just started to feel better. "I'll tell you at lunch. It pissed me off like crazy." She said, turning a wary head to look around them at their neighboring classmates; Neville was near the back of the mass and out of hearing-range much to her relief. She'd firmly decided to try and stop focusing on him throughout this class period and, hopefully, all the others. Naturally, she was skeptical towards her abilities to do so, but determined none the less.

"They're small now alrigh'…. But they'll get bigg'r soon enough!" The professor's voice boomed.

Layne looked at Hagrid once more giving her head and hair a shake which allowed the blonde mass to fluff a bit; it successfully caused her to produce a tiny smile while the ends tickled the back of her neck. Fluffing her hair was one thing that almost always managed to make her feel better even if, at the moment, it was more of a drying method since the locks were still a bit damp from her shower.

She watched as Hagrid continued to educate the class on the life-span of Mudringols; it was nice to see somebody so excited about something when she herself had been depressed since the evening before. What was more, she had Holli to talk to at lunch which made her smile widen a little; even if she was still in a downed mood, she at least felt better than she had earlier that morning.

As things turned out, Layne was the first to hatch one of the small, blubbery eggs. Hagrid called her up to be the demonstrator for the doubly large class; those in their "Eighth Year" were stuck with the seventh years so as to keep the old schedule. None the less, she was not intimidated by the motley assortment of faces and went forward, accepting Hagrid's excited invitation. "Com'n up Layne! Th' early bird gets th' worm!"

She strode up to the crates, slipping on her pair of Dragon-Hide gloves as she did so; Hagrid had stressed these gloves which meant that they were certainly, not to mention, incontrovertibly necessary. Looking into one of the crates, she selected a large, particularly plump egg and held it in the palm of her hand inquiringly. Its emerald surface was quite handsome, almost transfixing, but it was the translucent view of the tiny body inside that truly caught her interest. The little creature was squirming around quite frequently and she presumed that Hagrid must have known that they were going to hatch that day. "So… I just tap the white spot here?"

Her instructor nodded, encouraging her to return her attention to the tiny egg which was now moving within her grasp. She located the white spot and began to tap it at a steady rate moving her hand a moment later to steal a peak and check the inhabitant's progress. The little baby inside seemed to have paused in order to locate where the thumping was coming from, the dark figure of its head looking around curiously. Layne continued to tap its shell, increasing the beat now to encourage it. She couldn't quite make-out exactly what it would look like through the shell, but, when it'd officially hatched, she was certain that she'd find it adorable.

A couple of minutes came to pass and students had now taken to starting up their own quiet conversations in order to deal with the time. Layne, however, was starting to feel confident. The little creature was now nosing at the white spot blindly and anxiously. She eased up a little so as to avoid hurting it should it pop out; the last thing that she wanted to do was to bop it in the nose during its emergence into life. _That'd be so sad…_

Finally though, at long last, the small amphibian managed to break the surface and begin the tedious process of squirming out into Layne's gloved palm. It had a silky looking body of the same emerald shade as its previous home and glossy black eyes. Once it was no longer balled up in the egg, she discovered that its body was actually quite long containing six pairs of translucent fins as it curled around her fingers affectionately. "Awww dude…!" She said with a laugh, stroking its small head. "How do you tell the gender? I wanna name him…"

Hagrid, thrilled by her enthrallment with the small creature, gave it one look and pronounced it male. "Ya can tell by th' white spots on his back." He said pointing at them with a finger whose tip was bigger than the Mudringol. "Now, yeh said somethin about a name?"

"Rune." She said without hesitation. "He looks like a Rune." A grin came to her face as she suddenly envisioned Draco Malfoy trying to call her stupid and how she'd grin at him to show that it didn't bother her.

"Well done, well done!" Hagrid exclaimed, beginning to clap his colossal hands and prompting the rest of the class to do so as well. Layne, grinning like an idiot, strode back into the mass of people to where her friend was excitedly waiting to hold Rune; Care of Magical Creatures was Holli's favorite subject.

As Layne slowly eased the little Mudringol into the girl's hands, she looked up to where Neville was standing only to see that he was on his tip-toes trying to get a better look at the new hatchling. For the first time since the carriages, their eyes locked and, almost instantly, he averted his gaze.


End file.
